Marine! The Memoirs of Staff Sergeant Brightling
by CptnCorr219
Summary: This is the story of Staff Sergeant David Brightling, a UNSC Marine who fought on Reach, Earth, and the Ark. While on Reach he meets a certain Spartan III, on Earth two ODSTs, and on the Ark, a really pissed off Brute Chieftan. R&R please. As with my two other fanfics, be brutally honest people, that way I can create better fics for your enjoyment.
1. Chapter 1

I land with a _Crack! _on the hard stone ground. I grunt with pain. My hand goes to my side immediately to search for wounds. I wince with pain and look at my hand. It's covered in blood. My blood. I grunt as I use my right arm to prop myself up.

My vision blurs as pain rushes to my head. All I see is a gigantic brown blur as I'm kicked into the canyons walls. The brown blur stalks towards and gives a deep roar. My vision clears before it reaches me. The Brute Chieftain is gigantic, standing at least nine feet tall. His dark brown fur is caked with blood, his and mine.

He takes his Gravity Hammer from his back. He was just toying with me. He could've killed me at any moment. Instead he threw me, beat me, and broke me, until I couldn't fight anymore. He raises the Hammer above his head. _How could it have come to this?_ I ask myself. _After all that's happened, all I've been through, how can it end like this? I've survived so much and now this. Well, I'm not going by myself._

"All right ugly, one last dance," I grunt as I take a fragmentation grenade from my belt.

He roars and swings his Hammer down. In the second before it hit me, I thought back on my life. From life on the farm to boot camp..

**H4L0**

I grew up as a farmer on the colony planet Reach. Now when people think of Reach, they think of the second most human populated planet in our galaxy, or the fact that besides Earth, it has the largest military system. And when the Covenant declared war on Humanity, people looked to Reach's defenses to protect them from the unstoppable alien force.

But what no one seems to remember are the farmers. Sure Reach had its military prowess and its huge cities, but that wasn't all that was there. There were farms, small towns, friendly neighbors, people who knew your name by heart. I loved my town, I truly did. I didn't want to leave it, but I felt honor bound to join the UNSC Marine Corps. Looking back, if I had stayed I probably would've died along with my neighbors, friends… family.

My father was angry at me for leaving. Furious really.

"After all the care I've put into raising you, all the money I've spent, the days I've labored, this is how you repay me?" he had screamed at me.

"Dad, they need every man they can get!" I had shouted back, my long brown hair getting in my eyes. "If I don't go, that's one less man out there to fight the Covies!"

"Oh you really think you can make a difference, huh? What the _hell_ can one idiot farm boy do that could possibly help the UNSC?! What do you think you are, a Spartan? You're nothing special! Just a farmer whose only skill is lifting grain." He yelled at me, his face reddening. The rest of my family watched on as we argued.

My mother had taken my 8 year-old sister, Allison, upstairs and was no doubt trying to stop her from hearing us. My 17 year-old brother, Daniel, stood there glaring at me while my 14 year-old sister, Rachel, stared between me and my father looking scared.

"You know what dad; I don't care what you say. You're just saying this so that I'll end up a poor farmer like you, with barely enough money to support his family!" I had yelled back. My father stared at me, shock and anger on his face. I realized I had gone too far.

"Dad I'm sor-" I had started to get out, before his fist met my face. His punch threw me to the floor where I landed with a grunt. He had reached down and pulled me up to him so that I could hear him whisper in my ear, "Do whatever the fuck you want soldier boy. Just never come back to my farm. Ever."

With that he pushed me back down. He got up and motioned for my siblings to follow him upstairs. They followed him without question, without looking back at me. I had gotten up and stormed out the door, slamming it behind me. Before I knew it I was at the recruiting depot, with a pen in my hand.

**H4L0**

Before I left, I wished my family goodbye. My father and brother had stayed back, glaring at me, while my mother and sisters hugged me as I waited for the bus. Allison clung to my leg after Rachel had led my weeping mother back inside. Her face was pressed against my side as she sobbed, so that all I could see was her blonde hair.

As I pried her from me she sobbed out, "I don't want you to leave, David! Don't go, please don't go."

"Don't worry kiddo, you'll see me again." I told her soothingly. "Boot camp only last a few weeks. Then I'll take leave and come and see you."

"Oh really?" my father said, still glaring at me. "I had heard that that rule is no longer around, you know with the UNSC needing farm boys to fight the Covenant. Looks like you won't be able to come back."

As I realized what he was doing, I glared at him. Before I could retort the recruit bus pulled up. I looked at it before kneeling down to Allison's level.

"Don't worry Allison. I'll be back. I promise. I will always be there to protect you." And with that, I left my home and boarded a bus full of strangers. As the bus started moving, I looked out the window to get what was likely to be my last glimpse of the farm I grew up in.


	2. Training

**For those of you who don't know, a klick is equal to a kilometer. I've decided to switch to metric system for my non-American viewers, as America is one of the only ones who still use measurements such as inches and feet.**

The bus was surprisingly crowded. I ended up sitting next to a young, dark skinned man, roughly a year older than me. He doesn't have much muscle on him and he looks like he'd be better off in the city as an accountant. We don't say anything on the way to boot camp. I'm used to silence, having worked on a farm all my life, but this type is just unbearable.

It's the silence of fear, of men who are starting to rethink their choices, of children about to grow up too fast. It suffocates me, its hands wrapping around my throat, making me a part of the silence.

Finally I can't take it anymore. I turn to the man sitting beside me, "Hey, the name's David. You?"

He looks shocked to see me talking to him, and a little scared. I can feel dozens of eyes on me as my fellow recruits look up to see who has broken the horrible silence. I ignore them and wait for his answer.

"Um, you can call me Roger, Roger Harum." He says in a slightly higher pitched voice than my own.

"Nice to meet you, Roger. Where are you from?" I ask him, extending my hand to him.

He grasps my hand and smiles as he shakes it. "Small town a couple of klicks from here. My dad was a banker there. You're a farmer right?"

"Yep."

"What made you want to join the Marines?"

"Well somebody's gotta kill the Covies, might as well be me. What about you?"

"I joined to protect Reach. Eventually they'll find this place and we'll need every man possible to defend it."

"Bull shit! There's no way they will ever get to Reach!" A big teenager sitting behind us says, leaning over our seat to look at us. There are murmurs of agreement on the bus. "And even if they do, our military here will tear 'em to pieces!" he continues.

A man who looks roughly twenty one leans over his seat to look back at the teen. "You're kidding right? They'll find Reach. It's inevitable. And when they do more of us will die."

"Man they can't take Reach! It's too heavily defended. Why'd you even join if you think it's pointless?"

"Because I might as well try to stop them before I die. And besides what does Reach have that the _other_ colonies didn't?"

They continue to argue, sparking a conversation throughout the bus. I smile to myself; _at least I got them to start talking._

We talk so much that we don't even realize when the bus stops until the bus driver opens the door. We immediately fall silent. There's a _thunk, thunk, thunk,_ as a Drill Instructor walks up the metal steps.

He has the signature Smoky Bear on his head. His Sergeant rank is sewn onto his BDU. He looks at us for 5 seconds before he starts yelling. It all happens in a blur, him yelling us off the bus, putting our personal items in safe keeping, them roughly shaving our heads, meeting the Senior Drill Instructor, then meeting our DI.

We receive our uniforms, and our bunks. The next 13 weeks are a living hell. I get placed in the same platoon as Roger, the teen, whose name turned out to be Mitchell Ogada, and the depressing man in front of us, Tink Carter. He was the verbal punching bag for the DIs, with nicknames like Fairy and Tinker Bell. How the hell they remembered a cartoon from 500 years ago is beyond me, but they did it.

The four of us were in a squad together. Tink, as much as the DIs made fun of him, was actually made squad leader. He was definitely somebody you'd want next to you in a firefight. For all that depressing stuff he said, he wasn't joking about trying to stop the Covenant. He gained expert on his marksmanship scores with a battle rifle.

Mitchell was bigger than me but clumsier. He had very basic hand-to-hand combat skills and was very poor at accuracy. The only reason he didn't get booted was because of his strength. He was actually strong enough to tear a machine gun turret from its stand and carry it around with him. This, while it may not seem like much to an ODST or Spartan, for a Marine recruit that was a pretty damn big deal.

Roger was fast. I mean _really _fast. He could do the six mile runs without a problem. He had amazing speed and stamina for a son of a banker. The only thing that surpassed his speed was his accuracy with a rifle. Even the DIs were impressed with his marksmanship scores. At the end of training they told him he could easily make Marine sniper if he tried for it.

Compared to these three I was nothing special. I scored average with the battle rifle; I struggled along the six mile run with everyone else, I just barely survived the gas chamber. I was as average a marine as you could get. My only strength was in close range combat. My years on the farm had built up my muscle enough so that if I landed a punch, it was gonna hurt.

We were all so proud of our selves when we became actual Marines. We were no longer Recruits for the DIs to pick on; we were marines to be respected by our peers and feared by the Covenant. When we graduated, Roger and I got sent to the same ship above Reach. Mitchell stayed on a base on Reach. Tink, well, I didn't know it back then, but Tink was sent Hat Yai, an outer colony glassed by the Covenant sometime between 2528 to 2529. I never saw him again.

Roger and I had it good on our assigned ship, the UNSC _Firefight_, a UNSC Frigate. We stayed in orbit above Reach for three months, living peacefully while we waited for the _Firefight_ to finally see combat. We kept wishing for that day. . . until the Covenant came to Reach.


	3. Battle of the Viery Territory

**Starting this chapter I will be putting dates up. Thought it'd make it look more militarily professional. Enjoy, my fans!**

_AUGUST 12, 2552 _

_VIERY TERRITORY, REACH_

_Reach. _

_385,421,100 total military personnel, 58,430 land assets, 1,209 naval assets, 11,050 total air assets, and a defense budget of 38,287,000,000 cR._ I think to myself as my Falcon flies above the hundreds of Warthogs below me. _Reach. Humanity's fortress among the stars._ I chuckle to myself. I might just be the first to say that.

I look over at Roger, who's sitting across from me on the Falcon, his Designated Marksman Rifle resting in his lap. I can just barely see past his polarized visor. His eyes are closed, just as I knew they would be. He'd taken up meditation before missions. Apparently it helps him focus his shots. I look back over the edge of the Falcon as the machine gunners open fire at something behind me. I look just in time to see a Warthog below us burst into flames as a Banshee bomb hits its engine. The Warthog flips as the driver loses control of the Jeep.

A clicking noise brings my attention back to Roger. His eyes are open and his DMR is shouldered. I smile at him and look to my left. Three Warthogs are headed towards a bridge. As the first Warthog gets to the bridge multiple Banshees bomb the bridge destroying the first Warthog and the bridge. The second one jumps the gap without hesitation, but the third isn't so lucky. It hits the opposite edge of the bridge and plummets down to the bottom of the canyon.

I look back up at the second warthog and I'm shocked to see two figures walk away from the wreckage. Hell they're not walking, they're . . . sprinting! Right toward the covenant forces. I look through my battle rifle's scope and see that the two figures are Spartans! One of them appears to be a girl in light blue/teal armor, while the other is obviously a guy in black armor.

I tap Roger's shoulder.

"Dude, look!" I yell to him, pointing to where the two Spartans engage the three dozen Covies. He looks through his DMR as the Spartan in black jumps on the back of an Elite and rams a knife through the top of its skull.

"Damn." Is all he replies. He always was the silent type. We continue to watch the Spartans pulverize the Covenant until they move out of sight. I turn to Roger.

"Well looks like we're off to a good start. Let's hope we can keep it that way." I tell him. Over the next ten minutes we see plenty of our brethren destroyed. When the two main forces collided, we were flown everywhere, where ever they needed help. Our final mission today is to take out some Wraiths on a ridge near one of their Spires.

We touchdown and immediately get off. Two other Falcons land, both carrying Troopers instead of Marines.

The man in charge, a Sergeant Ryan Brooks of the UNSC Army, orders us forward. As he leads our team of eight, he tosses me a Bubble Shield.

"Use it wisely Marine. You only have one shot at it." He shouts to me as we rush towards the three Wraiths.

"Yes sir!" I yell back, wondering why he gave it to me. _I've never used one before in my life,_ I think to myself. _Is this the on switch?_

The Troopers open fire as they come into range. The Wraiths' turret operators, noticing them for the first time, return fire upon our group. Two of the Troopers go down as we take cover and a third suffers a direct plasma bolt to his stomach.

Roger and I take cover behind a large boulder, returning fire at the gunners. Harum calmly shoots one of the gunners, a Brute Minor, in the throat causing him to bleed out. Unfortunately this draws the attention of another gunner who fires at our boulder. With both parts of our team pinned down, none of us can complete the objective.

I look around the boulder for a quick second in time to see all three Wraiths fire upon the Troopers.

"Cover me!" I shout to Roger as I run towards the Troopers, not bothering to look over my shoulder.

Almost immediately I hear his DMR rounds sounding off. The second Brute gunner turns his attention to me, firing at me as I rapidly clear the gap between me and the others. I prime my Bubble Shield seconds before the gunner hits me.

I fall immediately as the plasma bolts sear into my left thigh. The pain is unimaginable, like being shot and burnt alive at the same time. But then the pain ends as soon as it begins. Using the break in fire, I put all my energy into my right leg and kick myself forward toward the soldiers. As soon as I land I slam down the Bubble Shield, activating it. Almost immediately, three giant blobs of blue plasma slam into the Bubble Shield.

As the dust clears, I see the two gunners now focusing on Roger. _He won't be able to move if we don't do something soon! _I think to myself. As our shield goes out we return fire from the boulder only to see the three Wraiths explode into flames. We all stare in shock at the destroyed Covenant vehicles.

I look up to see a Falcon flying towards one of the spires. Using a Falcon grenade launcher is the Spartan I saw earlier, the one with the black armor who assassinated the Elite. As the troopers cheer for our savior, he lifts one hand in a salute. . . . Just before he enters the spire's shield and his Falcon starts to crash.

I stare at the falling Falcon before attempting to run towards it. Idiot that I am, I forget that my left leg is torn up. I fall down on the dirt and start crawling towards the cliff. Brooks grabs my arm and pulls me up before I can get any farther.

"Are you crazy Marine!?" he yells at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"But we have to help them! They just crashed in there!" I yell back.

"What the fuck do you think you can do? You can't even walk; I've got two dead and one wounded, and your friend over there looks like he's ready to drop at any second! And besides, he's a Spartan. There's nothing those guys can't handle!"

"I guess, but have you seen what they're up against? Even they're gonna have trouble with that."

"Maybe. We got some time before our med evac gets here. let's see how this thing plays out."

He puts left my arm over his shoulder and helps me over to the cliff side. We get there in time to see not only the Spartan in black, but a larger Spartan with a turret emerge from the wrecked Falcon.

They rush towards the waiting Skirmishers, Grunts, and Elites, tearing through them like a chainsaw through paper. I watch as the big one gets on top of a hill and fires down into the masses of Covenant guarding the Spire. As the bodies of the Covies hit the ground, the Spartan in black rushed the Spire, using his assault rifle to tear cut down the remaining Covenant.

As the Spartan in black ascends to the top of the tower, a Falcon flies overhead stopping just outside the EMP shield. On the other side is the large Spartan, waving at the passenger of the Falcon.

I turn my attention back to the Spire in time to see the Spartan stab and Elite in the back and push him off the edge of the Spire. He watches the Elite fall for a moment then runs into the Spire's control room. Seconds later the EMP shield turns off and the Spartan walks out, shaking blood off of his knife. As the Falcon from earlier reaches the top, the Spartan in black sprints and jumps off the edge.

Brooks and I watch in disbelief as the large Spartan grabs the black Spartan and pulls him onboard the Falcon. We start cheering as the UNSC Frigate _Grafton_ enters the scene and fires a MAC round at the Spire, completely obliterating it.

And then it happens. The beginning of the end. The _Grafton_ bursts into flames and splits in half as a Covenant supercarrier fired upon it, destroying the frigate and all aboard. Our cheering stops abruptly.

"Where the fuck did that thing come from!?" Roger yells, breaking his usual silence.

I just shake my head and walk towards the Falcons that have just landed.

"It's not our problem right now. Let the Navy take care of it." Brooks answers.

We hop on the Falcons in grim silence. We all know what this means. The fall of Reach.


	4. Infirmary

**Let it be known that David Brightling is not my real name. It is my pseudonym. I am not one of those people who write a fanfic and include themselves in it. Believe or not, I thought up this David before I did my pseudonym. Just thought I should mention it. Anyway, as usual, enjoy and review!**

**Also, sorry about not updating in forever! Been grounded for a while. Let i be known though, I will not be taking a two month long break until this story is done. Anyway, enjoy and review!**

_14:33 AUGUST 15, 2552 _

_BRIDGE OF UNSC _FIREFIGHT

"Gentlemen," Captain Arkansas of the _Firefight_ said to me and Roger, "do you know why I've called you here today?"

We look at each other for a moment.

"No sir." We reply simultaneously, still standing at attention. Our presence has attracted the eyes of some of the officers working around us. They watch us with an odd mix of boredom and interest, like they're curious as to why we're here, but also want us to leave so they can continue on with their work.

"Well then, let me explain," he says to us, his normally dull voice growing into a warm, grand tone. "For your heroic actions in the Viery Territory, you, Lance Corporal Roger Harum, have been promoted to the rank of Corporal. And you, Private First Class David Brightling, for protecting your brethren, even at the cost of your own life, you have been awarded the Red Legion of Honor, and have been promoted to the rank of Corporal."

I widen my eyes at the last part, and I see every eye on the bridge turns towards me, even Roger's. Slowly, one by one the officers on deck begin to applaud Roger and I. The Red Legion of Honor, or more simply known as the UNSC Legion of Honor, is one of the highest honors to be awarded to a Marine or crewman. The recipient must commit an act where he or she puts his or her life at risk to save their comrades.

As the Captain hands me the medal I stare at it for a moment, my concentration drowning out the noise around me. _How could I have gained such a medal? How?_ I ask myself, still staring at the medal. I look back up at the Captain's smiling face. I stick out my right hand and he grasps it, shaking it firmly with his calloused hands. He hands Roger his new rank and stands back. We salute him, and, after he returns the salute, we walk off the bridge, me heading back the infirmary, and him back to his quarters. At the intersection between the two, we shake hands.

"Congratulations mate. You did good." He says as we split up.

I walk down the metal corridor, deep in thought. My crutch makes a loud thumping noise against the unusually loud corridor. My leg is still injured though not as bad as before. The war against the Covenant and their plasma weaponry has done wonders for our medicines against burns, no matter of what degree. Unfortunately, when they cure the brunt area, they replace the dead cells with new ones, making it so that for the first week you are in unimaginable pain. Thankfully though, along with our medicines of burns, our painkillers have gotten even better.

They had started to wear off by the time I made it to my room. I pressed the panel and the door slid open with a _hiss_ and I see Emma fixing my bed. Emma is one of the nurses on board the _Firefight,_ and she is damn good at her job. She had been assigned to take care of me and I can honestly say I felt taken care of. As the door opened she turned around, her brown bangs getting in her equally brown eyes.

She brushes her hair out of her eyes as she greets me cheerfully, "Oh hey there David. It's about time you got back."

"I'll say. I feel like hell." I reply, the painkillers quickly fading.

"What's wrong?" her cheerful voice immediately growing concerned.

I walk over to the bed and set down my crutch before laying down.

"Nothing much, but hey can you give me some more pain meds?"

"Nope."

"Than- wait what?!" I yell in shock. _Why can't I have my pain meds?!_

"I'm only kidding dumbo. Give me a sec." she laughs at me as she sticks the needle into my arm.

"That's not funny," I growl at her. "You try being shot in the leg by a plasma turret."

"Why do you think I joined the medical corps? To avoid that. What idiot would sign up to get shot?" she looks at me before exiting the room, "Oh wait."

She runs away laughing as I look for something to throw at her. After she leaves I look around for something to do. I spot my computer and turn it on. I immediately check the Reach news programs for information on the invasion. I scroll through the news reading different reports. I become so engrossed in it that I don't hear Captain Arkansas enter the room. He waits for a moment before clearing his throat loudly. I look up in surprise and sit up, the closest thing I can get to standing at attention.

"Ah, I see I finally have your attention." He says wryly. "I have some bad news for you."

I look at him surprised. "Sir?"

"The _Firefight_ is going to be seeing a more . . . active . . . role in the defense of Reach. And with us going head to head with Covenant ships, well, we're going to need more medical rooms open." He sighs, looking at me apologetically. "Sorry son, but we're going to be sending you to a hospital in New Alexandria."

"No need to apologize sir. I'm no good to anyone in my current condition. Besides, I'll be able to heal quicker down there, seeing as they have better technology than this old rust bucket," I tell him, a smile growing on my face as he looks at me sternly.

"That's my ship you're talking about there. Now apologize to her," he commands me.

"I'm sorry _Firefight_, and sir?"

"What?"

"It's been an honor sir. I'll see you when we get the Covenant off of Reach." I grab my crutch and slide off the bed. Walking over to him I hold out my hand and he shakes it firmly.

_17:27 August 15, 2552_

_Hangar Bay, UNSC _Firefight

I watched with heavy heart as the Pelican landed in the hangar bay. As the rear of the ship opened up, I turned to look back at the small farewell committee that had gathered. A dozen or so of the crew that I had made friends with, including Roger, Emma, Captain Arkansas, Aloum, a technician I met my first month here, and a couple others. I study their faces, knowing that this could very well be the last time I see any of them.

I wave one last time to my assembled friends one last time before walking into the Pelican. A couple other of the _Firefight's_ wounded hop on board with me. They shout goodbyes as the rear hatch closes.

"Alright everyone, get ready to roll, taking off in 30. No need to buckle up, there'll only be a minor bump while we switch gravity zones." The pilot says to us, twisting in her chair to do so. Most of us take seats. I decide to stand. _Let the more wounded rest up,_ I think to myself.

As the Pelican lifts up, I look forward, not glancing back at the friends I'm leaving behind. I hate goodbyes, I always have. Too sad, too final. I think about the months I've spent aboard the _Firefight_, the friends I've made, the experiences I've had. And I got the strange feeling it wouldn't end at Reach. Strange and cold.

And as the Pelican left the _Firefight_ behind, leaving it as just a small dot in the evening sky, I didn't look back. I never do.

**This is something of a filler chapter. There's not much action, but the Halo story isn't all combat. As fanfiction readers you already know that. The Halo story is about the characters that make up the story. Where would it be if the Chief was some super soldier with no background? It'd be a regular game that a couple of people would play for the shooting, not the game that millions play for the story behind it, the story that makes it seem real. I know this chapter may have seemed boring but the action is coming and again, I'd like to thank all who've read this so far, especially The Constitutionalist, Shikio, War Wraith, and x0DragonObsession0x. SemperFi! **


	5. New Alexandria

**For those of you who are waiting to meet the two ODSTs, don't worry, they'll show up in a chapter or two. If you can guess who Bob is, I'll put you into my next chapter! J**

_AUGUST 23, 2552_

_NEW ALEXANDRIA_

I ducked behind a crate as 10 spikes slammed into the wall where I had just been standing. I was with some Troopers who had been sent to the hospital not long ago. I had decided to take the last transport out of here. A transport that never came. I don't think I'll have to say why. I met up with the Troopers moments before we were attacked by the Brutes. What started off as 30 armed men and a cripple turned into 7 armed men and a cripple. I was ordered by the Troopers to flee from the battle scene. I did as ordered, but the 7 men left died with the second wave of Brutes and Skirmishers. I watched as the Brutes brought in some sort of jamming device. And still I stayed in my hiding spot a floor above them.

That was yesterday. Earlier, another group of Troopers had attempted to destroy the jammer. They managed to punch through the Brutes and I chose that moment to go down to them. As I explained my situation to them, reinforcements for the Brutes came through the door, sending plasma fire and red hot spikes everywhere ahead of them. As we fell back, I picked up an Assault Rifle and rushed with the Troopers to get into cover.

As we returned fire two of the Brutes, armed with Spikers went to go guard the jammer. The rest went to take care of us.

"Open fire Troopers!" yelled one of the Troopers, "we gotta destroy that jammer!"

We returned fire and the Brutes' shields flickered on. "Gimme a grenade!" I yelled and, catching a grenade threw it into a squad of Brutes huddled together. Then the brutes decided to return the favor, throwing a plasma grenade in my direction. I was barely able to get out of the way.

The blast sent me flying into a nearby wall and I hit my head, temporarily blinding me. I felt one of them pick me up and start carrying me someplace. Then the Trooper from before yells, "Contacts, two at ten o'clock! I'll hold them off until you get to the other side!"

"Cover that doorway! _Move, move, move_!" another yells to the squad, right as the sound of a Brute roaring in rage is heard.

"More Brutes! Stay back, you stinking bastards!" the first Trooper yells again, and more Brutes yell but this time are cut short, "I said back off, you nasty son of a bitch!" The sound of the fight echoes throughout the building, making it impossible to distinguish the sounds.

"Go ahead and try it!" another Trooper yells, and my sight starts returning as the sounds of battle start to end. It comes back in time for me to see a Spartan in black smash his AR onto the top of a Brute's head, killing it instantaneously. I look closer and see that it's the same Spartan from before, at the Viery territory.

"Thanks for the assist, Spartan. Jammer's right over here" said Sgt. Baker, the first Trooper who spoke. The Spartan jogs over to the jammer and quickly overloads it, and then walks down the stairs back to us. He tilts his head as if listening to a radio and nods. As he starts walking out, Elite Rangers start pouring out of a door into the room.

"We've got Jumpers!" Sgt. Baker yells as the Spartan, faster than I would've thought possible, sprints towards the Elites and quickly smashes one to the ground as it begins to jetpack away.

"Damn! Look how they move!" shouts Pvt. Lansky, the second trooper who had talked and the one who had pulled me away from the fight.

One of the Rangers lands in front of Lansky and shoves its Plasma Rifle into his stomach unleashing fiery death upon the young Trooper. I, Baker, and another Trooper tackle the Elite Ranger, Baker coming in from behind the Ranger, taking out his legs while the other Trooper holds down the Elite's gun arm. Using the butt of my AR, I smash down on the ugly bastard's glass helmet breaking it and smashing the glass and cutting the Elite's face up.

Time seemed to slow as I brought my gun around so the barrel was pointing at its face. I looked into its eyes and saw only hatred there. Its gray eyes didn't hold fear of its imminent death. It didn't seem to comprehend anything besides the fact that I deserved to die. It glared at me then roared, challenging me to kill it.

I obliged. I emptied the entire magazine into his head, leaving an unrecognizable, purple-blooded mush where its head had just been. We got up from the corpse and look around, seeing all the other Elites dead and the Spartan shooting a _coup de grâce _with his magnum. I walk up to the 6' 9" Spartan in black armor splattered with purple blood.

"That was impressive Spartan," I say to him, looking in awe at the carnage surrounding the silent warrior.

"Not really," he replies, his voice surprisingly normal, "B.O.B. was harder to take down."

I look at him questioningly as Sgt. Baker walks up and says, somewhat tiredly, "We're good here sir. You can head back to your bird."

The Spartan nods and sprints out of site, presumably to his bird. A moment later we follow, admittedly a little slower than the super soldier. We reach the platform where our Pelican has landed and make our way over. It's there that I see a familiar and very welcome face.

"Roger!" I shout, jogging over to my best friend. He looks surprised to see me, then angry.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" he shouts at me, "You're supposed to be halfway to Earth by now!"

I sigh as I realize how tired I am. "It's a long story man. I'll tell you when we're back aboard the _Firefight_." He looks down, suddenly look very depressed. "Hey man what's wrong. Has something happened to the . . . oh no. Don't tell me . . ." he nods, looking back up at me remorsefully.

"No. No no no no nonononononononono!" I yell punching the side of the Pelican and hear something crack. I grab my hand as pain shoots up my arm. "Dammit." I whisper to myself before turning to Roger.

"Who survived?" I ask him, grief making my voice come out ragged.

"Aloum did. Captain Arkansas went down with the ship when it was attacked by a Corvette."

"What about Emma?" Silence answers me. I look up at him and he keeps his eyes from mine.

"What about Emma?" I repeat, harsher.

"Went down with the ship."

Before I can say anything else the pilot turns around. Alright guys, we're returning to the medical frigate, ETA 10 minutes. Then we'll be returning to Earth."

Sgt. Baker whips his head up from where he's sitting. "Earth? Why?"

"From what I've picked up, it's because the top brass doesn't want Earth unprotected. Plus more Covies have arrived at Reach. They don't want to send people to die from no reason."

Random mutterings erupt from the Pelican as we mull over the news. One of the Troopers, Pvt. Ascet I think he's called, sums up our mutterings and whispered words, "So Reach has fallen."

Silence engulfs the Pelican. We ride the rest of the way without talking. _So what now? Reach has fallen so Earth's the last thing in the Covenant's way. Unless some miracle comes along, we're all screwed._ I think to myself as the Pelican lands. _Yeah, what we need is a miracle._


End file.
